AliDeck Balcony Fires Report 2021 – 2022, we are proud to publish the latest data on fires on balconies across the UK from the last 12 months
As a leading figure within the aluminium decking and balcony component market, we understand the role we must play in moving the UK towards a fire-safe future. We feel it is our duty to not only supply safe and compliant materials to the construction industry but to also provide leadership on the national conversation surrounding the building safety crisis.
Accordingly, we have once again compiled a report on the prevalence and causes of balcony fires over the previous 12 months, using Freedom of Information Act requests to UK Fire and Rescue Services to gather the data. Having received responses from all UK fire services, we are now able to outline the shocking truth regarding fires on balconies.
Our AliDeck Balcony Fires Report 2021-2022 reveals that balcony fires have significantly increased from the previous reporting period. The total figure for fires on balconies across the UK between 1st August 2021 to 31st July 2022 is 310, a substantial and concerning increase of 46% in comparison to the total figure recorded in our 2020-2021 report of “merely” 213.
Smoking-related causes accounted for a grand total of 182 balcony fires across the UK during the period, 59% of the total. This is a 10% increase compared to our previous report, when 104 fires of 213 total were caused by smoking. This depressing statistic absolutely underlines the need for balconies to become strictly non-smoking areas and also highlights the danger caused by supposedly trivial actions such as incorrectly disposing of a cigarette.
Looking at all the identified causes of balcony fires we can see that the overwhelming majority are caused by human error or reckless behaviour, with 76% of fires on balconies proven to have started by smoking, matches, arson, candles, fireworks, or barbecues. There were also 55 fires where the cause was not definitively identified, so it’s very likely that the true proportion caused by people acting carelessly or stupidly was even higher!
A positive note, though, is the slightly reduced number of fires caused by barbecues, down from 21 to 15 year-on-year. In 2022, several major retailers either removed disposable BBQs from sale or limited their distribution following London Fire Brigade’s stern warnings regarding the risk of major fires on balconies and in public settings, particularly during this summer’s heat wave. It is also worth noting that this is the first full summer since the lifting of lockdown restrictions, allowing more people to venture outside, perhaps contributing to the reduced incidence of fires on balconies caused by barbecues.
Richard Izzard, AliDeck managing director, said “These are shocking and depressing statistics. We had hoped to see the number of fires caused by smoking fall across the last 12 months, due to the increased awareness around fire safety as well as the progress made in remediating combustible balconies. Sadly, that is clearly not the case and much more work needs to be done to achieve a fire safe future in our nation.”
The future of housing will certainly see us continuing to build upwards, with more mid- and high-rise apartment blocks planned for construction in cities around the UK. These developments will rightly feature many new balconies in urban areas to provide residents with access to outdoors living spaces.
Also considering the huge number of existing developments with balconies, many of which are constructed with combustible materials such as timber or composite decking, to see so many balcony fires continuing to be caused by human error is deeply concerning.
This latest AliDeck Balcony Fires Report should serve as a warning and all stakeholders in housing and construction must take action.
To find out more about the AliDeck Balcony Fires Reports, please contact our team on 01622 235 672 or email info@alideck.co.uk.
